Production Designer / Short Film
Feb 2022 / Savannah, GA
GrAphiC DeSIGNer
LET'S GET CooKING
The Felsenthal Fish Company sits in celebration of a town nestled in a 76,000 acre national wildlife refuge offering, hiking trails, fishing, wildlife observation photography, hunting, including youth hunts, environmental education and interpretation, and camping.
A one stop shop before entering the wilderness, the company serves as an outpost to secure quality goods and some of the best barbecue this designer, personally, has ever had.
Menu design is often a balancing act of information and art. A utilitarian medium which is often overlooked, it is the first impression diners have of a restaurant. If a place has a poorly designed menu, you can be certain it's not the only thing they've overlooked.
That is certainly not the case at the Fish Company.
When you look at this menu, I wanted you to feel taken care of. To feel welcome, invited in, and cared for. Taking inspiration from classic southern Americana along with the wildlife refuge's preserved ecosystem, my aim was to deliver a presentation as comforting and irresistible as it's offerings.
Menu designed for Felsenthal Fish Company
Album designed for Third Floor Village's Get Away
Cover illustration by Audrey Rickman
You wake up where you shouldn't be. Tires squeal. Dust plumes.
You're Kerouac. You're Willy. You're on the road, again...
This album cover for Third Floor Village's debut album Get Away is inspired by the restlessness of young adulthood, the misguided determination to leave a mark on the world, and the bohemian accumulation of stories to tell another day.
Album covers for composer Jonathan Sandy
ThOUGHTFul DeSign
My design philosophy is simply driven by a passion to create and admiration for the world around me.
I've always looked up to creatives. From Dylan to Dalí, Henson to Herzog, O'keefe to Orwell; I've come to realize that artist's role in life it to leave the world better than we've found it. Through my work, I strive to help my clients realize their visual identities and develop products that breathe life into the everyday.
Spec concepts for a soccer equipment and apparel brand
TheY CalL Him
MR. SMELL GOOD
Working with Topanga Scents has been one of my most rewarding collaborations. Founded in my hometown, this aromatic company was started out of the garage of then high school principle Seth Williams. With the help of his sister-in-law and co-CEO Erin Williams, the company now distributes products across America. With their small town roots and California state of mind, I aimed to create packaging labels and designs that look pleasing on shelves and in homes.
Creating visual motifs out of elements such as the Topanga Mountain range and the hand written notes-to-self reminiscent of Seth's days developing his craft in his garage, I aimed build a brand identity that conveyed luxury, consistency, and charm while also differentiating itself to easily translate across a wide range of over forty products.
The video and designs above featured at various Topanga corporate events including their first Gala awards dinner and Topanga convention.
More available to view at www.topangascents.com
DESIGNiNG
For thE BIG ScrEen
Still from Home Before Midnight, directed by Jacob Piller
WeLcomE to The MaGic StOre
Designing graphics for film is akin to camouflage - or even forgery. It often feels like you're getting away with something you're not supposed to. You're Big Brother subtly guiding peoples attention in ways they don't even realize until at least a second watch.
Of course, sometimes the designs are never in focus, slightly out of frame, or even absent entirely for reasons out of the Art Department's control. Such is the nature of the beast.
For Jacob Piller's Home Before Midnight, a slasher comedy that pays homage to the campy horror films of the 80's, we decided that the faux labels required to give an air of period authenticity should also carry on that central idea, referencing movies like Wes Craven's Nightmare on Elm Street, John Carpenter's The Thing, and Frank Oz's Little Shop of Horrors.
Various product displacement labels designed for Home Before Midnight, directed by Jacob Piller
Get tHe Lay oF tHe LanD
Floor plan for Pulse, directed by Parham Harisabi
All ThE WeiRd
aND WONDERFUL
Some of the greatest joys working in film as a graphic designer come from all the deliciously odd and meticulously obscure objects we get to put our stamps on.
Take the shipping label above, designed for an Adam and Eve Spec Commercial, "Privacy Comes First," directed by Monica Matute.
This hero prop, featured on screen for mere seconds, was required to both give the facade of a familiar shipping label while immediately revealing it's contents, embarrassing the main character and highlighting the peace of mind that comes with discrete shipping.
CaSe StudY: JackRaBbit
Promotional graphic designed for Clayton Bolding's Jackrabbit
Illustration by Morgan Bushman
Growing up in rural south Arkansas, I spent a lot of time in the woods with my family and by myself.
While I never got the appeal of hunting like the others around me, I always felt a deep appreciation for nature and could see the connection my family had to it. One of my main goals for the project is to realistically represent southern masculinity on screen. As I approached my senior capstone project at the Savannah College of Art and Design, I knew that this was an idea this was the idea I wanted to explore.
To do this, we have decided to curate an immersive style that blends together elements of both documentary and narrative filmmaking techniques, and began to develop a graphic campaign to match. By exploring different photographic collage, motion media, and illustration techniques, I began to develop a unique and experimental visual identity for the film's promotional elements that aimed to evoke mystery and intrigue in audiences.
Promotional Title Card for Jackrabbit, directed by Clayton Bolding
Crowdfunding Posters for Jackrabbit
Various social media posts for Jackrabbit
Initial Thumbnail
Inspiration Reference
Final Poster, Illustration by Morgan Bushman
For the Jackrabbit poster I collaborated with the talented illustrator, Morgan Bushman, to bring my initial sketches into fruition. Together we workshopped different compositional layouts and motif elements from the film to create a versatile promotional graphic that could be displayed in multiple formats and settings.